Enchanting Rendezvous
by Dragonfly-Moonlight
Summary: Years ago, he walked away from everything he knew. Little did he know, someone was looking for him.


Kouga hummed softly to himself as he finished slicing the last of a ten-pound bag of potatoes. Not many could tell it but Kouga loved his job. Sure, he had to cook damn near all day long but, after nearly three hundred fifty years of learning and perfecting the art, it was what he lived for.

'And I only have a few more hours to go before I'm out of here,' he grinned, dumping the potato slices into a pan. 'Then I'm off for the weekend . . . Kami, I've been waiting for this for a very long time.'

Weekends off were not an unusual thing for Kouga. Far from it. Because he'd played his cards right over the last few centuries, he'd become a highly sought after chef in the finest of youkai restaurants. No, having the weekend off was not unusual in itself. It was the reason behind the weekend off that had Kouga excited. Finally, after many years of searching, he had finally found the one person he'd been missing in his life and had made arrangements to see him again. Inuyasha.

At first, when Inuyasha had initially left, Kouga had thought it to be a good thing. Kagome still came around to visit with Miroku and Sango, and the kitsune, and he'd enjoyed being able to flirt with her without getting into a fight with the feisty half-demon. Then things slowly started to change. How or why, he didn't know. But Kagome no longer enticed him and he began to miss all of the arguments that he'd had with Inuyasha. Every time he recalled one of their (now) stupid arguments, he smiled. One day, after Kagome had left for her own time, Kouga had made his way to the Goshinboku tree and climbed into one of its many branches. Despite the years that had followed Inuyasha's absence, the wolf had been able to smell the hanyou all over. A severe and sharp pang of loss had filled him at that moment, and he had wanted to see Inuyasha more than anything. He loved the hanyou and knew it. Always had.

However, locating Inuyasha had proven to be very difficult. When he'd tried to pick up the hanyou's trail, all he'd found was talk. Rumour at the time had him residing in the Western Lands with his older brother, but whether it had been true or not, Kouga couldn't say. He'd confronted Sesshomaru, who had told him nothing, then spent the next hundreds of years trying to locate the hanyou. He'd even asked Myouga, Inuyasha's retainer, but the flea had been useless. It had seemed to be a very endless and thankless task.

Kouga had almost given up hope until, by chance, he'd come across a bat hanyou named Shiori. The girl had just stepped off a plane from America and had stopped at the restaurant where he worked.

Initially, Shiori had caught his attention only because of the silvery sheen of her hair. It had reminded him of Inuyasha and, for a brief moment, had despaired that she might actually be his daughter. She'd even had the hanyou's scent on her. It had compelled him to ask her about Inuyasha and learn the truth, even if it broke his heart. What she would reveal to him would not only shock him but give him a new found hope.

Inuyasha had fled Japan after Naraku's defeat, having made his way to the continent, taking the young hanyou girl with him (her mother had died trying to protect her from a mob of angry villagers). It had also turned out that he had not taken a mate or even bothered to take anyone to his bed over the centuries. Shiori had affirmed that fact many times, causing Kouga to press on for more information.

After the two had left the country, they had traveled across the continent, eventually landing in the fledgling American colonies. There, Inuyasha had made a new home for himself and Shiori as well as a new life. Why the hanyou had simply picked up and left, Shiori couldn't say, but, before she left, she gave Kouga Inuyasha's phone number, address, work number and address, and email, albeit reluctantly, and a bit thankful she hadn't asked for his name.

'Can't say that I blame him for leaving,' Kouga thought as he set about to frying up some steaks. 'Things were''t looking good for hanyous back then, not after everything Naraku had done . . . but why didn't he tell anyone he was leaving? He probably doesn't even know how worried his friends were about it.' He then shook his head. 'It doesn't really matter anymore. What's done is done . . . and sometime tomorrow, Inuyasha will be landing back in Tokyo and heading for my apartment. I don't intend to waste a single moment with him. Not at all.'

Humming softly to himself, he continued his cooking and prep work, counting down the hours and minutes until he could leave and finish his other preparations. He still had a lot to do, and not much time to get it done.

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Inuyasha sighed as he slowly pushed his way through the crowded airport at Tokyo International Airlines. He had one bag slung over his shoulder, and that was all he really needed. It had enough clothes in it to last the weekend. Nothing more. He had no intentions of staying much longer than that. Japan was no longer his home. He'd lost his reason to stay once Naraku had been defeated and it had become painfully obvious that, despite the fact that she still cared for him and wanted to be his friend, Kagome no longer needed him, no longer wanted to be with him. It had torn him apart when he'd seen it in her eyes, though he doubted that she knew it herself, so he'd done the only thing he could think of: he left without saying goodbye. Shiori traveling with him had been a bit of a mistake, having only come across her before the villagers who had just killed her mother could kill her. It was a mistake he'd make all over again, if he were given the choice. The young girl had eased some of his loneliness, had given him someone to protect. Traveling with her had been a joy. When they'd left Japan, he swore he'd never return. He couldn't take the heartache anymore.

'Right,' he told himself, mentally shaking his head. 'That's why I'm back. All because of that damn letter. Who the hell was looking for me that they managed to locate Shiori and ask her? They didn't even sign it! How did they even know that she and I were together? The only ones who would have really cared are long since dead.' He sighed once more. 'I'll find out when I get there.'

Inuyasha got through customs as quickly as he could then hailed a cab, the address and directions to the apartment complex in hand. An hour later, he was staring at a rather tall building, a sort of resigned look on his face. He'd only been in the country for two hours and already he wanted to head back to America. At least there, early spring _felt_ like early spring, something that had somehow become lost on him in Japan.

'Might as well get this over with,' he thought, pressing the button to be admitted in. A gruff voice came over the intercom, a voice that sounded somewhat familiar but he couldn't place it.

_"Who is it?"_ the voice demanded.

"It's Inuyasha . . ." he began then the lock buzzed before he could continue.

_"Come on up! Apartment 517, in case you've forgotten!"_ came the cheerful reply.

'Definitely not Kagome,' he ruled out as he entered the building then headed for the fifth floor. Once door 517 was in front of him, he raised his hand to knock . . . when it opened to reveal a male, about the same height as he, with pale blue eyes, dark hair pulled into a topknot, and a well-fitting, black kimono covering his finely chiseled body. Inuyasha felt his throat go dry as the wolf youkai smirked and leaned in the frame, his arms folded.

"Long time no see . . . Inuyasha."

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Kouga walked out of his kitchen, carrying a mug of coffee in each hand. Inuyasha had arrived about an hour or so earlier than he had anticipated but he didn't care. The fact that his former rival was even there was enough to satisfy him . . . for the moment. He quickly glanced over the hanyou, who had finally removed his concealment talisman, and decided that Inuyasha looked absolutely delicious enough to eat . . . in a manner of speaking, of course.

Unlike in the past, his silver hair had been brushed to the point of fine silken strands, and had been pulled up in the simplest of topknots. And he no longer wore the baggy hakama and haori. They'd been replaced by a pair of tight, black jeans and a simple red t-shirt. Kouga had always known that Inuyasha had been in excellent shape, but the red fire-rat clothing had done nothing to accentuate his form. What he had on now . . .

'Easy,' he told himself as he set the coffee down before the hanyou. 'His nose works just as well as mine does. Better even. There's always later.'

"What the hell do you have burning in here?" Inuyasha demanded, finally breaking the silence that had been looming over them since he'd arrived. His face had scrunched up slightly in disgust. "And what's up with all of these candles? You expecting someone later on?"

"No," Kouga chuckled. "I like the light of the candles better than I do than that of the regular lights. Not as harsh. As for the smell . . . it's rain forest incense. Helps keep the smell of the outside world at bay."

Inuyasha frowned a bit, his expression thoughtful. Finally, he nodded."Makes some sense," he admitted grudgingly as he took the coffee. Then his gaze wandered to the large, bay windows. "It's a clear night tonight . . . you can actually see the moon . . ."

Kouga followed his gaze and smiled. "Yeah . . . crescent moon out there . . . almost the night of the new moon."

"Yeah . . ."

The room fell silent once more, Inuyasha becoming lost in thought. Kouga watched him for a while before setting his cup down.

"It's been a long time, Inuyasha . . ."

"That it has," came the mute agreement. "Why were you looking for me? I thought you hated me."

To that, Kouga shrugged then wandered back into the kitchen. He'd gone to great lengths for this night and he wasn't about to let any of his planning go to waste. A nice dinner – crab cake appetizers, a healthy salad, lemon herb chicken with ramen on the side complete with a white cake and mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert – possibly a movie . . . more, if Inuyasha allowed him to get close enough. The trick was how did he tell Inuyasha?

As he placed the crab cakes on the serving tray, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"I never hated you," he finally confessed, reaching for the chilled champagne. "Yeah, I liked to give you a hard time and get you riled up but I never hated you."

"What about Kagome?"

"What about her?" he replied back as he poured them each a glass. He knew he had just poured them both some coffee but the crab cakes, he had found, somehow tasted better when served with a bit of chilled champagne. "She was a friend. Nothing more, really."

"You didn't try to take her as your mate after I left?" came the surprised inquiry. Kouga put the champagne back on ice. Balancing the plate and the champagne in both hands, he came back out and set them down.

"Not really," Kouga sighed. "Here. Have something to eat. You've got to be hungry after such a long flight."

Tentatively, Inuyasha reached a clawed hand out and took one.

"Why didn't you?"

"Just didn't feel right," Kouga shrugged again. "It just wasn't the same after you'd left. I mean, sure, I had fun flirting with her for a while but then . . . I don't know. Things changed. I missed our fights. That's when I decided to start looking for you. You aren't an easy person to locate. You know that, don't you?"

"I didn't want to be found," Inuyasha murmured softly. "Things weren't the same . . . I just . . . I had to leave . . . get away . . ."

Kouga clasped a hand over Inuyasha's and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You don't have to talk about it," he soothed. "And you don't have to explain. Given the way things were, I can understand why you left. There are other things we can talk about . . ."

"Yeah," the hanyou smiled wryly. "I guess there are . . ."

Kouga smiled once more then slowly removed his hand. Inuyasha had only taken one bite of food and he didn't want his efforts to go to waste.

"Eat," he encouraged. "I didn't make it so it could just sit on my coffee table."

To that, Inuyasha chuckled. Actually _chuckled_. And he had been the reason for that chuckle. Kouga beamed to himself.

"You didn't have to do all of this," Inuyasha stated as he reached for another crab cake. Kouga nudged the champagne towards him.

"Actually, I did," he told the hanyou pointedly. At the questioning glance, he lowered his head. "I never thanked you for all the times you saved me and my tribe. You never had to and you always made like you never wanted to . . . but you did. If . . . if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be alive today and for that, I'm very grateful."

"So . . . this is your way of thanking me?" the confused male blinked.

"Hai . . . and a bit of a way for us to catch up on old times," Kouga winked as he glanced up. "The chicken won't be ready for another forty minutes, the ramen will be easy to fix . . . Why not just make it a party?"

"A party of two?"

"Sure beats a party of one!"

"True," Inuyasha conceded then slowly grinned. He stared at Kouga for a few moments, his golden eyes shimmering. "Thank you, Kouga."

"For what?" It was his turn to blink.

"For searching for me for so long and not quitting. . . for going to all of this trouble. No one's done that for me in a very long time. It's nice to know that someone other than my mother and Shiori care about me."

"You're welcome," Kouga murmured, watching as the hanyou finally took a drink of the champagne. 'When the time is right, Inuyasha, I'm going to let you know just how much you mean to me. I just pray to the Kamis above that you feel the same way.'

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Dinner had been a very pleasant affair. Kouga had put in some classic American rock music as he finished the preparations for the meal then served it. Over dinner, Inuyasha had finally opened up to him about the things he had done, and confessed that he had kept parts of his social life a secret from Shiori. There were things, he had said, that the girl was better off not knowing, and Kouga had agreed. Having numerous female acquaintances, even in the course of five hundred years, were not a good way to keep your adopted daughter's respect and admiration, and Shiori practically adored Inuyasha.

After dinner, he had almost suggested a movie but one look at Inuyasha's face had nixed the words before he could speak them. The hanyou had started to fall asleep on the couch, thanks to the combination of jet-lag and champagne. Now the silver-haired male slept peacefully on Kouga's bed.

'Saturday night and he's already out,' Kouga chuckled to himself. 'What a party pooper.'

Still, he couldn't help but admire the way Inuyasha looked as he slept. The hanyou's hair practically shone like the full moon against the black silk sheets and amethyst blankets. Kouga felt his groin stiffen as he continued to gaze at the angelic-looking hanyou. Cautiously, he crept towards the bed and crawled in next to the hanyou, pausing only for a moment when Inuyasha let out a soft sigh. When the half-demon didn't move again, Kouga snuggled himself close to the silver-haired male then breathed in deeply of his scent.

'Kami, he smells good,' Kouga sighed happily, slipping his arms around Inuyasha's waist. Already his youki nature demanded that he wake the slumbering male and take him right then and there. He'd waited over five hundred years to make the hanyou his mate and it was time.

'But I can't . . . not yet . . . I may be ready but he isn't. And I want it to be special . . . deserving of him. I can wait.'

With that thought to content him, Kouga settled into a peaceful slumber . . .

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Inuyasha sighed softly as fingers danced lightly across the bare flesh of his back and shoulders. Something bound his wrists, something smooth and light, while his eyes had been covered. He could smell the faintest hint of sakura blossoms, felt one resting near the tip of his nose. A kiss landed on the junction of his neck and shoulder, causing him to shiver. It had been a long time since anyone had touched him in that manner but never had it brought a response out of him like that.

Letting out a soft moan, he arched his back, trying to feel more of what his newfound partner had to offer him. A deep chuckle rumbled from behind him, and fangs brushed against his neck as another kiss landed there.

"Are you sure you want this?" came the whisper.

"Kouga?"

"Hai . . . are you sure you want this?" he repeated, as his weight settled on top of Inuyasha and something hard pressed against his ass. "There's no turning back for either of us if we go through with this."

Inuyasha hesitated. He'd always thought he'd find a suitable female to settle down with and eventually have pups with, but he'd always feared letting his guard down about his youkai status to the females he had encountered and considered potential mate material. Kouga already knew what he was. Kouga was letting him know that _he_ wanted him. The only problem he could think of that they'd have to overcome was the distance. He still had no intentions of coming back to Japan to live and he wasn't about to ask Kouga to head to the U.S. with him.

'But that would be Kouga's decision to make, not yours,' a little voice whispered. 'Just enjoy yourself. Mate with him. If you be honest with yourself, you'll see what it is that you've been missing in your previous encounters. You have nothing to lose. Just go for it. Allow yourself to be happy for once.'

'All right. I will.'

"Hai," Inuyasha murmured. "I'm sure. I want this . . . I want you."

"As long as you're sure . . . You have no idea as to how long I've waited for this . . ."

'I think I do,' Inuyasha thought with a smile as Kouga removed the blind fold then removed his jeans . . .

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Something hard had buried itself into his ass. That much he was aware of. Groaning, Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked around.

At first, he didn't recognize his surroundings and he nearly bolted up, panic rising up in him. A growl came from behind him as strong arms and legs wrapped tighter around him, immobilizing him. Then he collapsed against the sheets. He was back in Japan, visiting with Kouga.

"We mated sometime last night, didn't we?" he inquired weakly. When he remembered where he was at, it didn't take him long to figure out what had entered his ass and who held him tight.

"Mm-hmmm," came the tired reply. "Sometime around eleven last night. You fell asleep not more than two hours ago. I dropped off about five minutes after you did. You've got stamina in you, puppy. I'll give you that."

Inuyasha let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes. He hadn't counted on this happening.

"I can't stay in Japan, Kouga," he murmured. "I can't."

"I know," the wolf replied, kissing his shoulder blade. "And I'm not going to ask you to stay. Not if it's going to make you unhappy to be here. But I'm also not going to give up my claim on you. You're mine."

"So what are we going to do about this?" Inuyasha frowned. "You won't ask me to give up my life and I won't ask you to give up yours . . ."

"Shhh . . . let's not worry about it," Kouga purred. "We'll figure something out . . . Right now, I just want to enjoy my time with you. That's all. And since your squirming has gotten me all excited again . . ."

Kouga nipped at one of his ears, slowly turning them so that he was underneath the wolf once more.edit Inuyasha closed his eyes and leaned his head back, his body meeting Kouga's in their exotic little dance. It felt good to be loved once more . . .

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"Hello?"

_"You're not going to believe this, boss! Not in a million years!"_

"What is it?" came the bleary reply.

"_It's Inuyasha! We've found him!"_


End file.
